Angel's Love & Demon's Heart
by Ookami88
Summary: During a mission on his birthday Naruto wishes on a falling star for a real friend. He gets more than he thought would be possible. NaruHina, slight AU. Rating may change for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The initial idea of this story belongs to Kage Bijuu and his "One Wish" fic, and I'm grateful that he granted me permission to use it. Also the name of Hinata's mother, Izumi, belongs to Chewie Cookies, who also let me use it and some of his other ideas in this story.**

**Thanks guys!**

**Also I want to thank all people that showed their support for me and my family when this tragedy of my father's death occured. I'm very greatful for your understanding and kind words. Thank you.  
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**Now onto the story!  
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* * *

"I'm glad you came here today, Hiashi-san!" Tsunade exclaimed, sitting behind her desk which surprisingly wasn't stacked with papers. Instead, there was a bottle of high-class sake and two cups. "Please, sit down." She pointed a chair that was right before her.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." The Hyuuga clan head took his seat opposite the blonde woman, who poured the contents of the bottle into the two containers. He accepted the offered sake and drank it in elegant manner. "Another year."

"How are your daughter and nephew?" Tsunade asked, already filling their cups anew.

"Hanabi aspires to be the best heiress ever seen by the Hyuuga, and Neji helps in her training. After he lost his father during that border incident with Kumogakure, I never thought that I'd ever see him smile again..." Hiashi said, remembering his deceased brother with a small smile. "I thank Kami for the day when he tasted defeat for the first time. Victories bring honor and respect for one's skills, but you can learn much more from your failures."

"Wise words. I'll drink for that." The Godaime Hokage raised her cup in a mock-toast. "Good thing I sent Shizune home earlier. The only reason she didn't argue was because of the date..." A sudden depression hit both of them, hanging in the air and not letting go. "How much time passed since...?"

"Twelve years, two months and sixteen days." Hiashi answered without hesitation, surprising the legendary medic.

"Such accurate counting...I shouldn't be surprised, you loved her very much, even if it was an arranged marriage." Tsunade finished her drink. "Izumi, Kushina, and Mikoto. Three beautiful and deadly kunoichi, the best of their generation... I feel like I failed them."

"No, Tsunade-sama," Hiashi interrupted her. "Despite being their sensei, you couldn't be there for them all the time. Izumi once told me that the three of them understood why you left the village all those years ago." He looked into his unfinished cup with a grief in his eyes. "Even after we lost our first daughter, she never blamed you. It was a tough time for us all."

"Tell me Hiashi, how did this all happen? I read reports, talked to other people, but it's not the same. How did Izumi lose Hinata?"

Hiashi took a deep breath and gulped down the rest of his sake. "It's because of some of the elders of my clan. They are all dead right now for what they did. Apparently, they wanted to have a male heir from my line, but someone reported to them that Izumi will have a girl. In their 'wisdom' they decided to poison my wife and unborn child to cause a miscarriage." He spat the last few words. "It partially worked, but the elders didn't expect her to go into labor while being seven months into her pregnancy. The poison they used wasn't of a high quality, and acted too slow. That's the reason why she was able to carry Hinata for so long, as one of the doctors explained it to me."

"And Izumi never complained about pains or any other discomforts?" Tsunade asked, but Hiashi only shook his head with slight amusement.

"Despite her soft nature, Izumi could be quite stubborn when it came to her own health. She didn't want to worry anyone, and told me that she thought it has to be normal for a pregnant woman to feel that way." He continued his tale, even if each word caused a great suffering to him because of the painful memories they brought up. "After she gave birth, the head medic declared that the child was born dead... Never before had I felt such misery and pain. It was like someone grabbed my heart and squeezed it like a lemon. But I had to be strong for Izumi. She was devastated and blamed herself. A few weeks later, though, it became clear that it was because of the poison that our daughter was weakened even before being born, with the side effect of my wife's body becoming weakened, resulting in Izumi's death upon Hanabi's birth."

"How could someone be so stupid as to mess with a pregnant woman's health, worse than that, how could anyone try to kill an unborn child simply because of their gender?" Tsunade wondered out loud with disgust. "Those pricks are lucky that they're already dead, because I wouldn't be so merciful to them!"

"Believe me, neither was I," Hiashi said with a dark tone in his voice, one that sent shivers down the blonde Sannin's spine. "I still keep counting Hinata's birthday, Izumi started it and I couldn't stop myself even after her death. She would be sixteen by now, just like..."

"Just like Naruto," Tsunade finished. "I'm worried about him, Hiashi. Just two days ago, I sent him on a patrol mission with Muroboshi Kosuke and two other ninja, a jonin and a chuunin. During the briefing, he was so quiet, calm, but unfocused, completely out of character. I'd like to help him with whatever is bothering him, but I have no idea what the cause could be."

"Tomorrow's his birthday. He feels the most lonely then." A new voice joined them, and the figure of a man appeared in the now open window.

"Jiraiya, why don't you act like a normal person and use the door for once?" Tsunade complained to her old teammate, but still made a gesture for him to join the little party. She even took out a third cup and another bottle of sake.

"Why use the door when a window is more in ninja style?" The Toad Sage grinned wildly and accepted his drink. "Sorry to interrupt your trip down memory lane, but I wanted to warn you, hime. Naruto's really sensitive at this time of the year, and it's good that you sent him away from the village."

"What do you mean, Jiraiya-sensei?" Hiashi asked his old teacher. He and Namikaze Minato were on his team, along with Uchiha Fugaku. After gaining the rank of chuunin, their group was disbanded and the old Sage took the blond boy as his apprentice, while the other two were specially trained in their respective clan arts, as both of them were heirs and future heads of Uchiha and Hyuuga. Now Hiashi wanted to know what was going on with the son of his deceased friend.

"When we were together during that two year training trip, gaki always got very depressed whenever his birthday was close," Jiraiya started his explanation. "He once confessed to me one time that because of the demon inside him, he was often beaten and spat on during the Kyuubi Festival. And it was during his fourth birthday that he was thrown out of the orphanage, which resulted in him being homeless for over a year."

"What?!" Tsunade was beyond mad hearing this. "How could sensei let that happen?! Better yet, how could he leave Naruto for so long on streets!"

"There wasn't really anything Sandaime-sama could do at the time, actually," Hiashi commented. "We were still short on shinobi due to Kyuubi's attack, many facilities and businesses were destroyed, and there was also fear of the other ninja nations taking advantage of our weakened state to attack. Day after day the Hokage would work hard to protect the village from outside threats and inside panic. It wouldn't surprise me if the Elder Advisors hid the fact that Naruto was thrown out of the orphanage."

"Which actually is what happened. Homura and Koharu, along with that old cripple Danzo, tried to keep Sarutobi-sensei from knowing about their schemes concerning Naruto." Jiraiya poured himself another cup of sake. It was hard for him for him to talk about the painful past of his godson. "From what I managed to gather, they wanted Naruto to be shaped as a weapon loyal to Konoha. They thought that giving him harsh experiences this early would make him strong emotionally, because he wasn't entirely human anymore, those idiots. Not once did they think it might cause him to hate the village and its people, which is what it had been starting to do. Thankfully, sensei found out in time to prevent any lasting damage on his psyche or the seal. Never before had I seen him that mad..."

Tsunade drank the content of her cup in one gulp and massaged her temples. Those three elders were a thorn in her side ever since she took this blasted job. They put their noses into every affair, wanted her to do what they say in almost every aspect of village's policies, from foreign trade contracts to what missions she sent Konoha shinobi on, and whom she sends. Lately, their nagging focused on Naruto.

Just yesterday, all three of them came to her office and demanded that Naruto stay inside the village's walls. Better yet, Danzo even suggested, quite intensely, that the boy should undergo special training under his instruction, to ensure that he won't become the same threat as his rogue teammate, Uchiha Sasuke. They didn't give a damn about the emotional scarring that the boy went through the previous few weeks, including the death of Sarutobi Asuma, who was his teacher for elemental manipulation at one point, or the older wounds, like the humiliation at the hands of one of the kunoichi rejects, Mizuiro Ami.

Apparently the girl pretended to like him and invited him on a date. It was shortly before Naruto was to go with Jiraiya on their training trip, and being a boy who never had a girl openly go after him, Naruto instantly agreed. He realized that there wouldn't be anything between him and his female teammate, Haruno Sakura, who he'd had a crush on since early in the academy. What happened later would forever haunt Tsunade.

Naruto was really anticipating his first real date. He bought new clothes, cleaned his apartment, reserved a table in a nice restaurant, did practically everything possible for that night to be perfect. When it was finally the time to meet with Ami, the blond teenager went to the place that they agreed to meet. Ami was there in her normal attire, and with her there were at least a dozen of other girls, all of them from the former Sasuke Fan Club. Confused Naruto started to question what was going on, and the real nightmare began. Ami started to scream at him, insult him, call him a demon and a monster, a useless waste of space that couldn't bring back their precious Sasuke. Next that the Uzumaki boy knew, all other girls activated several binding seals that were placed exactly where Naruto stood. After they restrained him, the kunoichi and civilians alike started to rip his clothes, throw rotten vegetables at him, and beat him senseless. Ami even went as far as spit on him and state that no sane person could be with a monster like him, and that there would never be anyone who'd love him. She told him he didn't deserve love.

Naruto was found by Sakura the next day in his apartment. She was terrified by the state he was in. While most bruises and cuts healed overnight for him, the same couldn't be said about his spirit. It looked like something broke inside his soul. There was no joy, anger, or hate, only...emptiness. It was a very deep depression that was so alien to anyone who knew the blond boy personally. For almost a month, Naruto was taken off the active roster and sent to psychological therapy, and it was after the evaluation from Yamanaka Inoichi that Tsunade found out what exactly happened to her favorite brat. All guilty parties were sentenced to house-arrest, because of their young age, for illegal use of jutsu inside the village, physical and mental assault on a loyal Leaf shinobi, while Ami was also charged with being a mastermind behind the whole incident. Another part of the punishment was that all legal kunoichi among the group were stripped of their ranks and kicked out of the program.

Tsunade could only hope that somewhere in this vast world, there was at least one person that would help Naruto in his emotional turmoil and let him feel loved like he deserves. Little did she know that here prayers were closer to being granted than she thought.

* * *

"I've got the wood Kosuke-jisan!" The obnoxious blond came to the camp with three clones accompanying him, all loaded with dry wood.

"Great job Naruto-kun! This will last us for tonight before we'll move to the next location. Am I correct Kanchiko-san?" The Eternal Genin asked their jonin commander.

"Yes, good job Uzumaki-san. Now you and Kosuke-san will take the first watch, afterwards it'll be Toshiro and I until the morning. Remember, this is still a neutral zone and at any given moment there can be danger. Watch out especially for Kumo shinobi, since we've gotten word of them hanging out around our borders. If you see anything, make sure you tell me." Kanchiko the jonin looked over his four-man team that consisted himself, a young chuunin Funataba Toshiro, the Eternal Genin Maruboshi Kosuke, and Konoha's own Jinchuuriki, genin Uzumaki Naruto. While most of them didn't know each other and Kanchiko was a little worried about teamwork, especially after hearing Naruto's reputation, the last few days weren't that bad. This patrol duty was going very smoothly so far, but he silently prayed it'll stay that way. "Everything clear?"

"Hai!" Everyone chorused, even Naruto's clones.

"Alright! Naruto, Kosuke-san, wake us up in seven hours. Goodnight." Both the jonin and chuunin went to their separate tents, leaving the two genins alone with each other.

Kosuke looked at the blond boy sitting a few feet from him. He knew who Naruto was and how he usually behaved, at least when they had this one other mission in the past. He thought of the young Uzumaki as such a bright child, despite his burden. However, now something has changed. Because their meetings were so rare, Kosuke was able to sense the difference between the younger Naruto and the one before him. The teenager was quietly performing whatever task was given to him, his eyes were duller, and he didn't joke as much as the old man remembered, and overall was less energetic. Something was clearly wrong with this young man, and the old genin wanted to help him.

"Beautiful moon, isn't it?" Naruto suddenly spoke, surprising his companion.

"Indeed it is." Kosuke agreed.

"I'm sometimes envious of it. The moon is surrounded by so many beautiful stars. I wish... I wish I had at least one... that would shine only for me..." Naruto's voice almost broke. He chuckled dryly. "It's actually funny. My birthday is practically now, because it's after midnight...and I don't have a wish...not that it would happen anyway... they never do..."

Kosuke now knew what really bothered his young friend. He was lonely. Not alone like when the blond was a child, he had quite few friends now, but lonely at heart. 'There always comes time for a boy to become a man, to start searching for the one special person that would fill the gap in his heart,' he recited in his mind. "I think today will be a special night for you, Naruto-kun."

"Huh? What are you saying jiji?" Naruto asked confused.

"Do you know what a shooting star is? Let me tell you something; if you happen to see a star falling from the sky, on your birthday, and you make a wish on it, I'm sure it will be granted," the old man said with a kind smile, watching in light of the diminishing fire as the boy's blue eyes grew a little bigger. "Because you have two special occasions when dreams come true." Without saying anything more, Kosuke got up and walked away to check the terrain around their camp, leaving the blond alone with his thoughts.

Naruto was sitting there, his mind filled with questions. 'Maybe the old man is right? What do I have to lose?' As on cue right then, the young shinobi saw a star falling from the dark sky, so bright and beautiful. He quickly made his wish. "Beautiful star, can you hear me? I know this may sound selfish, but it's my birthday, so I think it's all right. Please, help me find someone I can share my heart with. Someone who'll be a true friend, in good and bad... and maybe something more.. .Oh, and let it be a cute girl, okay? Thanks!" Hard to believe, but saying all this made Naruto feel better. He had a quiet hope that at least part of his wish will come true.

Unknown to him, several pair of eyes were observing him and his comrades, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

* * *

_"Are you certain about your choice?"_

_"H-Hai."_

_"The living world is very different from what you are used to. There is violence, anger, hate, and lust. You'll be exposed to the lowest human instincts. There is also a risk that you may become tainted by them and never be able to come back. Are you still sure you want to go?"_

_"Yes. H-He needs someone close to his heart. I-I've observed him for most of my life, and despite what's sealed inside his body, his spirit is just so strong, courageous, and pure. I'm a-aware that what I want to do may be frowned upon, a-and there may be a harsh punishment but... I feel that my destiny is joined with his."_

_"I see that you are as stubborn as me. Promise me that you'll be careful. A shinobi's life is full of dangers."_

_"I promise."_

_"Then go to him. Find you path to happiness...my little angel."_

_"Thank you... mother."_

* * *

The attack was sudden and unexpected. At least a dozen ninja sporting blank headbands jumped from their hidden posts and killed the Konoha chuunin before he could even get from the ground. Kanchiko, being a jonin for several years now, managed to avoid death by mere inches with Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique), and killed three of his attackers with a bunch of exploding tags attached to the log that was left behind. His victory was short-lived because another two enemies jumped on him with their swords aimed at the vital spots, but he managed to deflect them with kunai in both hands.

Several opponents surrounded Kosuke who was having quite a hard time keeping them at bay. He was also worried about his young blond friend, who suddenly disappeared from his sight before those mongrels crossed his path.

Naruto was fighting alone against five opponents. The blond was summoning clone after clone to overwhelm his attackers, but it wasn't working too well. Out of nowhere a sixth shinobi appeared, and he was quickly making hand signs.

"Raiton: Raigeki (Lightning Strike)!"

It wasn't the new one that appeared just now, but another shinobi who slipped unnoticed by Naruto, and managed to fire a blinding bolt towards the blond, hitting his back. While not strong enough to kill him, it was enough to shock him and paralyze his body. Seeing him struggle, the other ninja finished his own jutsu. Naruto saw as drawings of some kind appear right under his feet, then moved around and wrapped themselves on his body, binding him in place.

"Ninpo: Seiji Shibari no Jutsu (Ninja Style: Holy Letter Binding Technique). Now you won't escape us," the enemy ninja said. "This jutsu will keep going as long as I'm alive, so you have no way to escape it."

"My team will come for me, you bastard!" Naruto shouted in defiance but the other man just scoffed at the teen boy.

"You mean that old man and the other losers? I have enough men to make them busy. You'll fetch a good price, after we wipe out your memories."

"Wh-what the hell do you mean you scum?! What do you want me for?" Naruto was really worried now. Whoever those guys were, they had some plans for him, and he was sure that they didn't include taking him to an all-you-can-eat ramen buffet.

The ninja sneered at the bound boy. "Jinchuuriki fetch a good price in some places. We'll be rich after selling you, Kyuubi."

Naruto was speechless, they somehow knew what he really was. "H-how...?"

"Our employer gave us a very accurate description of you. Also, we're equipped with the means to take you alive." The man pointed at the sealing formula currently coiling around Naruto's body. "These will prevent you from using your 'other' chakra, and it will drain your normal chakra to keep working. When we get to the hideout, you'll be stripped of your memories. Then we'll wait patiently for your new owner to show up." Seeing that the blond didn't cease his struggles, the ninja leader chuckled, but was getting a little annoyed. "Stop moving! We're leaving soon, so you better not try anything for your own good, boy!" To add emphasis to his threats, the leader backhanded the boy in the face, making some of his companions laugh at the pathetic sight of bound Jinchuuriki.

Naruto glared at his oppressor with rage in his blue eyes. Never before had he felt so powerless! Now he couldn't do anything to free himself and kick those guys' butts. With a titanic effort, the blond teen managed to turn his head up, still seeing the burning spot on the night sky, where his falling star disappeared.

_Don't give up!_

Something was calling out to him. Naruto thought that he was going crazy from fear and exhaustion, or Kyuubi somehow managed to contact him. However this voice didn't belong to the demon inside him. It was a gentle feminine voice, one that brought to mind silver bells. The next thing he knew was that his star suddenly exploded in a bright light that flooded the whole forest in milky-white light. Then Naruto felt his strength returning to him, and the seals restraining him were gone.

"W-What the hell's going on here?!" The leader asked, unable to see anything in the light. "Keep the brat guarded! Don't let him free himself!"

"Boss! I can't see!"

"No one here can, you moron! But neither can the brat! Just tie him down with some ropes, you fools!"

It was true that Naruto was also blinded, but there was a significant difference between him and the attackers. He could feel everyone around him, like he had a three hundred sixty degree vision in his mind. Also all his moves were somehow lighter, more defined, like something or someone was guiding him through the battlefield. Never before had he felt so powerful and so peaceful at the same time. Quickly he sneaked around the blinded ninja and knocked them out, one after another. When their leader was the only one left, Naruto couldn't suppress his anger at the earlier humiliation.

"Rasengan!"

The spiraling sphere of chakra hit the man in abdomen, sending him flying through the trees before crashing down on hard earth. Feeling accomplished Naruto felt his strength leave him and collapsed to the ground, unconscious and exhausted.

After a few more minutes the light finally dissipated, and both Kosuke and Kanchiko found the blond boy, who was now sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of what's going around him. However, it was not the bodies of the fallen ninja that surprised the two Konoha shinobi. No, it was the fact that Naruto had a pair of arms wrapped around him. Coming closer, they saw someone lying beside the blond.

A girl who appeared to be the same age as the Uzumaki boy, with pale skin and long midnight-blue hair... and was completely naked.

* * *

**Short, I know. I couldn't think of anything more to add to this first chapter to not make it too cliché or overwritten.**

**Expect another new story written by me. It'll be the last new fic I start for a while, as afterwards I'll just focus on continuing the fics I'd already started. The next story is another theme that I want to try for myself: Emperor Naruto.**

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Never before had Uzumaki Naruto been so nervous when sitting inside the Hokage office. He had been in this very chair so many times before in the past, answering to the late Sandaime for some of his most outrageous pranks, that one day the blond youth carved his initials in a hidden spot that could be reached with your hand, if you knew where to find it. Currently, Naruto wished to be somewhere else, far away from Tsunade, who, at this very moment, was finishing reading his report about his latest mission, which was quite hectic to say the least. When those sharp honey-brown eyes focused on him, the male blond couldn't help but swallow nervously.

"Naruto."

"H-Hai?" Naruto's panic level rose a few degrees. 'If Tsunade-baachan found something wrong in that report, she'll make my next missions more boring or miserable!' He thought to himself. 'She's scary when she gets serious!'

"Let me get this straight. According to this report, your group was attacked by several renegade ninja of unknown origin." Tsunade started out. "You got separated from the team and were ambushed by the leader of the group, who used some sealing jutsu that prevented you from using both your chakra and the Kyuubi's. It's this next part is what truly confuses me..." The Godaime paused for moment. "Naruto, while I've witnessed many things in my life, this is more than a little far-fetched."

"What's so wrong with the stuff I wrote there?" The blond Jinchuuriki asked impatiently. "Everything there is like I remember it."

"That's just it. You weren't able to recall most of the details about the fight with the leader, where you used the Rasengan on him, but that's to be expected if you take that sealing jutsu into consideration. However, this is what bothers me; a blinding light could have been either a jutsu or a simple flash bomb appeared, but that doesn't explain the sealing jutsu being released. And then there's this girl..."

"Ah, that's right!" Naruto suddenly looked more attentive than ever before, rising from his chair and practically breathing down the Hokage's neck. "Is there anything new about her, Baa-chan? Do you know who she is or when she'll up?"

"Stop with that 'Baa-chan' crap, brat!" Tsunade exploded. "And sit down!" She added with a commanding tone that left no room to argue. Once Naruto was in his chair, she took out some papers that Shizune brought in just an hour ago. "Regretfully, we still don't know who that girl is or where she came from. Until she wakes up, it's better to leave this issue. Surprisingly, she's in perfect health, no signs of external or internal injuries or diseases. Despite the fact that she was nude in the middle of nowhere, I didn't find any signs of her being assaulted sexually. Hell, there's nothing to point that she had any of her clothes removed by a third party." Tsunade looked away from the medical records, smirking at the sudden blush on the younger blonde's face, then she massaged her temples. "Physically, she's a perfectly healthy sixteen year old girl. Mentally though, there is no way to confirm anything."

"Why is that? Wouldn't Ino's family's jutsu let them find out if there is anything wrong?" Naruto asked, intrigued.

"It's not that simple, Naruto." Tsunade said with a serious expression. "Coma patients, like in this case, are hard to predict when it comes to their minds. There are many risks with Yamanaka's jutsu, and they can't always use them safely. For example, a patient who hit their head very hard and lost consciousness could be healed with normal medical ninjutsu, and their mind would be completely intact. Now, a ninja that was a victim of a very heavy genjutsu, would have their bodies intact, however their mind could be so destroyed that Yamanaka's technique would put not only the patient's life at risk, but also the caster's. We have no idea what is preventing this girl from waking up, so we can't risk any random procedures, and forcing someone awake with medical ninjutsu is never a good option."

Naruto looked down to the floor, disappointed by what he heard. "Is there really nothing we can do?" He asked, almost desperate. "I know this may sound weird, but...There's something amazing about her that I can't really explain with words. Just this sensation I have whenever I think about her. It's warm and fuzzy. It's a good feeling." The Uzumaki boy once again had the fire of determination in his blue eyes. "I want to help her, Tsunade-baachan. I don't understand how, but I'm pretty sure that she saved my life. I want to return this favor!"

Tsunade truly wished that she could give him something more than mere words. Despite her immense knowledge and experience in the medical field, there really wasn't much she could do for a coma patient. At the very least, the blonde Hokage wanted to give this boy just a little more hope.

"There is little we can do for her, other than her current treatment." Upon hearing these words, Naruto once again looked down to his feet, but Tsunade already knew how to change that. "However, while there's no hard evidence, it's said that sometimes coma patients can hear the voices of those around them." She picked up a clipboard, grabbed a small hospital pass, and threw it to the teenager, who quickly caught it. "This pass will give you access to room 380 in the secured wing of the hospital. Maybe if you try talking to her, something will happen." Smiling softly at the still confused boy, she had one more piece of advice for him. "There is always hope, Naruto. After all, you showed me that the first time we've met, brat."

If the grin Naruto had sprouted could get any wider, Tsunade wouldn't be surprised if it reached from ear to ear literally. "Thanks, Baa-chan!"

"Don't stay after visiting hours end!" she shouted as the blond teenager ran out of her office. 'Whoever that girl is, I hope she wakes up soon...for both of their sakes.'

* * *

"Ugh, finally! Our shift is over!" Ino moaned a little, trying to relax stiff muscles in her shoulder after taking off her medical coat and putting it to her locker. "I can't believe how rushed those last few hours were."

"Tell me about it." Sakura agreed. "It's amazing how Shizune-san is capable of doing her job as Hokage's assistant and still have time to run her shift at the hospital."

"Maybe it's because she doesn't have a boyfriend." The blonde kunoichi said with a smirk.

"Stop it!" Sakura chastised her friend, though she too had smiled. "We shouldn't talk like that behind our senpai's back."

"Oh, don't be such prissy little kohai. Besides, if Shizune-san would wear something other than that kimono of hers, then maybe her back would be arching for reasons other than picking up papers for the Hokage."

"You're awful." Both kunoichi were giggling madly as they went through the corridors of the hospital. When they got to the entrance hall, the pink-haired girl suddenly saw a familiar orange and black tracksuit. "Naruto? What are you doing here?"

"Hey Sakura-chan, Ino!" the blond boy greeted his teammate and friend.

"Hi Naruto! Don't tell me that you came here to ask the two most gorgeous kunoichi for a date, because we won't accept anything but the finest restaurant in the village!" Ino declared loudly, making her two companions sweat-drop.

"Don't mind her. We just finished a long shift and she's blabbering from exhaustion." Sakura said with a calm face, though her lips curved a little when she saw the pout on the mind-walker's face. "But still, how come you're here? You're not looking sick, and I don't see any wounds on you."

"Actually I'm visiting someone." Naruto answered truthfully. "Can either of you tell me where the secured wing is?" His question threw both girls off the loop.

"Secured wing? Who are-?" Ino tried to get the potentially juicy gossip out of her fellow blond, but a quick stomp on her right foot, courtesy of Sakura, quickly shut her mouth, though not for long. "Ouch! What was that for, Forehead?!"

However, Sakura completely ignored her friend's accusing question, focusing on her longtime teammate. "Naruto, you need a special pass to go there. And even if you do have that one, there are restrictions as to where you can go. So if you don't have that pass or don't know the room's number, then no one can help you."

"No worries Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled goofily and took out a small plastic card from the pocket of his jacket. "All I want is to visit someone in the room 380. Can either of you show me the way?"

Sakura sighs resigned. "Alright, I'll take you there." She then turned to Ino. "This shouldn't take long, but don't wait for me. I know how much you want to go home and take a shower."

"Fine. We'll meet later at the café." the blonde girl said casually, but she secretly sent Sakura a quick glance with a hidden 'I want to hear details later,' message, making the other medic roll her green eyes. "Don't be slow, alright?"

"Hai, hai." Haruno waved her hand dismissively, before turning to her teammate. "Come with me."

Obediently, Naruto followed after her, not wanting to accidentally trigger her short temper with tardiness. After they got through a few corridors, something made the blond boy think. He had a question that currently only Sakura could answer.

"Hey, Sakura-chan? I wondered, why did Baa-chan put that girl in the secured wing? Isn't there a place in the hospital suited for coma patients?"

"There is, but only for citizens and shinobi of the village." Sakura was a little surprised by these questions, but nevertheless she answered them to the best of her knowledge, not seeing any harm in doing so. "There are also security reasons. If a foreigner is found hurt by us, then they are placed in the secured wing, whether civilian or shinobi. When I was training under Tsunade-sama, she had me read some old files that gave examples as to why such measures are taken to this day. One time, a foreign shinobi, under civilian disguise, feigned his injury to get into the hospital, and killed several of the staff with exploding tags he had on him. Not only that, but there was also this one rogue ninja that had been infected with a deadly virus and wiped out a small village in Earth Country."

"Harsh." Naruto commented, cringing a little.

"Yeah, and there were even worse things mentioned. I couldn't sleep for a week straight after learning about such things." Sakura didn't lose her pace, as they passed yet another corridor. "Even though nothing was discovered with this girl you brought in, we still can't take the risk. Naruto, you must admit that the way she appeared before you and how she looked is mysterious enough to suspect something." A small smirk played on her lips. "Also, waking up to see a naked girl had to be quite a shock."

"Not you too, Sakura-chan! I've been teased by Baa-chan ever since I've brought that girl to the village! I may be a student of the biggest perverts in Konoha, but that doesn't mean I'm one too!"

"Alright, calm down and don't raise your voice. I was only joking, though judging how you created two perverted jutsu by yourself, one could doubt. Anyone caught by such a disgraceful technique should be pummeled!" The flames of righteous female fury started to burn around the pink haired girl, making her appearance somewhat scary.

"Says the girl caught by the yaoi version." Naruto muttered quietly.

"What was that?!" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes at the blond.

"N-Nothing at all!" Naruto was sweating bullets. 'I have to remember to keep my mouth shut, otherwise I'll be the one in need of a hospital bed!'

Still looking at him with a piercing gaze, Sakura realized that they were finally at their destination. Truthfully, the secured wing wasn't much different from the other parts of the hospital, however that was only the appearance to an untrained eye. The whole ward was monitored by two to three ANBU agents that changed every few hours. In addition to that, there were also sealing arrays inside the walls which, when activated, could bind anyone who doesn't know what signs are set to deactivate the field. Each room is equipped with tranquilizer seals, imprinted right under the patients' beds, that can subdue them if necessary. Both the ANBU and medic-nins who have the access to this floor know how to use those measures of security in case of an emergency.

Inside room 380, the only occupant was a young girl, lying on the only bed, under warm covers. Her long, midnight blue hair was splayed on the white pillow. An IV was hooked to her arm to keep her body hydrated and prevent her from starving. Other than the soft sound of light breathing, only a heart monitor's beeping disturbed the silence, signaling to everyone present the status of the patient's heartbeat.

Naruto didn't say a word. He just sat there on a chair next to the girl's bed, and watched her for several long seconds, admiring the beauty before him. Sakura saw something there, something which prevented her from uttering even one word, so she just left her teammate there. If she had stayed just a moment longer, she would have heard the blond boy speak to the unconscious girl.

"Hey there..." He started awkwardly. "Tsunade-baachan said that you might hear things, even if you're in a coma, and that talking to you might wake you up. Maybe if I tell you some stories about how great it is outside this hospital, then you'll want to wake up!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, like always when he was in the mood for storytelling. "How about I start with this one time when Ero-sennin and I..."

And so, Naruto talked about everything he could think of. He was telling his inattentive listener about missions, adventures, and people he met over the years after officially becoming a shinobi. The blond boy warmly reminisced about his friends, both from Konoha and outside the village. From his younger years, he told her about all the pranks he did, and how Iruka-sensei was often the one who caught him during the village-wide chases that ensued. The Uzumaki youth was especially proud of his final prank, where he painted all four Hokage faces on the Hokage Monument, in broad daylight, and was only really noticed by ANBU and the villagers after his work was finished.

After three hours of constant tales, Naruto had to get up from the chair and stretch his stiffened muscles and joints. Also, he noticed that the room he was in was starting to get a little too muggy for him, so he opened the window, letting in a pleasant breeze of evening air that carried the smell of trees, grass, and flowers, along with the sound of a few chirping birds that had gathered on the nearby oak.

"Such a pleasant evening. If you wake up then you'll be able to see it for yourself!" Naruto tried to be humorous, but when he noticed no change he couldn't help but sigh. "I'm just not sure what to say anymore. Well, there is one thing left." With those words, Naruto leaned closer to the seemingly sleeping girl and with a gentle touch, he brushed a few dark hairs from her face, at the same time noticing how soft her pale skin was. It was then that the orange wearing ninja felt a small jolt go through his fingertips, but he dismissed it as static electricity. "I know it was you that saved me that time on the mission. If it wasn't for you..." Naruto trailed off. To think that there were people who would sell humans to others like merchandise, or use them as mindless weapons. "Anyway, thank you."

As the last gesture of gratitude, the blond teenager took the girl's hand in his own, seeing that there's not much that he could do at the moment. However something prevented him from releasing the smaller hand from his grasp. Like an electrical current, foreign chakra shot through his body

_Don't... go..._

Utterly shocked, Naruto was glued to his current spot. "Wha-what?!" He couldn't believe it, but those words, along with the feelings of confusion and fear echoed inside his mind. No matter how much the boy wanted to let go of the still unconscious girl's hand out of his own surprise, he just couldn't. Either it was this chakra causing it, or maybe his own subconscious mind didn't want him to release her. The orange clad genin also looked at her face, and saw it was grimacing in discomfort, like she was reliving a terrible dream.

_Alone... afraid...Don't want..._

Naruto noticed the waves of emotions flowing into his heart and mind along with every word he heard. They were...familiar. Just then, he remembered that those were the very same feelings he had for years before graduating. "Please, wake up! I want to help you, but you have to wake up!" He couldn't let this nightmare continue. If this girl was really as emotionally scarred as he felt through this weird connection, then he saw it as his duty to release her from all those bad emotions. "Open your eyes and everything will be fine!"

_Lost...So dark...Scared..._

"I know the world can be a scary place, but there are also many good things!" Naruto was desperately searching his memory for any good examples as the girl's grip on his hand grew stronger with each passing second. "There is Ichiraku, with the best ramen in the world! There are birds and flowers, trees and wind! And I'm here too!"

_Who...You...?_

"Naruto! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he hastily introduced himself. "Tell me your name, and we can be friends once you wake up! You won't be alone anymore!"

_I...I am..._

"Tell me your name! Please!" Naruto said a little too urgently and felt the chakra flowing into his body increase dramatically. Now there was pain involved, but despite that he kept holding her, determined in his resolve to help this person.

_My name...is...Hinata..._

* * *

Two men battled each other in the Hyuuga courtyard. The head of the clan, Hyuuga Hiashi, a man of great posture and a deep sense of pride, exchanged blows with his nephew Neji, who was claimed to be the most talented warrior the Hyuuga had in many generations. Despite his years of experience, Hiashi was sometimes having trouble keeping up with the younger man, but nothing could make him happier. The son of his deceased brother excelled in the art of Juuken (Gentle Fist) and his handling of their precious bloodline ability, the Byakugan, despite being a member of the Branch Family. If not for that fact, Neji would be an ideal candidate for the title of clan head after Hiashi's demise, however because of the old traditions it isn't possible.

Only one other person was present, observing the sparring match, trying to learn anything she could from it. Hanabi greatly admired both her father and her older cousin, for the strength and swiftness they showed in their fighting. She wanted to be the best, reach the pinnacle of her abilities, and then go beyond. Her dream was to make her clan proud and bring honor to her family. Her daydreaming ended when Hiashi called the spar to an end. It was her cue to bring them refreshments.

"That was very good Neji. You've clearly improved and polished your techniques."

"Thank you, Hiashi-sama." Neji replied humbly. Hanabi came to them shortly with a tray with three cups of tea on it, along with towels.

The older man accepted the tea from his daughter's hands. "There are still ways to improve yourself further." Hiashi's breathing evened. "One should not stop their training once it hits an obstacle. It is then that we are required to seek new ways of strengthening our bodies and minds. Remember that." This sentence was directed to both of his family members, who graciously accepted the wisdom in those words.

"I'll remember that, Father." Hanabi replied, while Neji only nodded. Suddenly, the youngest Hyuuga turned her head in the direction of the hospital. She didn't know why, but something called for her there. Quietly, she activated her dojutsu. "Byakugan!"

"Hanabi-sama, is something wrong?" Neji suddenly asked, intrigued by the fact that his cousin used their bloodline outside of battle, knowing that she's too disciplined to do so without a good excuse.

"I-I'm not sure...There is this...pillar of chakra coming from that direction. I think it's coming from the hospital." Hanabi answered truthfully, turning her eyes off. "The weird thing is that I didn't know it was even there, something just made me look there with my Byakugan. It wasn't like mind-control, but a feeling deep inside my mind." She turned to her father, a little scared from the strange sensation, and saw that he had his own Byakugan activated already and was looking at the large column of unidentified chakra. "Father?"

Hiashi deactivated his eyes and turned to his nephew. "Neji, go to the Hokage and tell her what we just witnessed. If this amount of chakra really can't be detected by a normal shinobi, then we have no guarantee that anyone besides us knows about it, and that is only because Hanabi noticed it first. I'll be waiting at the entrance of the hospital. We must be cautious and not cause panic." The young jonin nodded and immediately disappeared, while Hiashi turned to his daughter. "You'll wait here Hanabi. If this is an attack, then you must stay inside the compound, understand?"

"Yes Father." Hanabi replied.

The clan head only nodded in response. Without wasting a moment, he was already on his way to the hospital.

* * *

Neji quickly arrived at the Hokage Tower, already climbing the stairs to the Godaime's office. The young jonin had his Byakugan activated, observing the strange anomaly his cousin noticed. It still astonished him, the fact that such a large source of chakra didn't give out any feeling of any kind. If it wasn't for Hanabi, no one would ever know anything was going on, and in one of the most important places in the whole village. Thanks to his experience with two Jinchuuriki, along with some high ranking missions over the last few years, Neji knew that whenever chakra this big is involved, it's just impossible for it to be undetected by anyone nearby. If neither he, a recognized jonin of the Hyuuga clan, nor Hiashi, a clan head with many years of experience under his belt, had detected this mass of chakra...Something really suspicious was going on, and the Hokage had to know!

Soon, Neji reached the door to Tsunade's office, but just then he noticed that the strange pillar was starting to diminish, and fast. Not wasting anymore time, the young shinobi barged to the room, startling both the Hokage and her assistant, who dropped papers on the floor. The blonde woman was more than a little peeved at her ninja for such rude entrance.

"Hyuuga Neji!" She shouted, getting up from her chair. "I hope you have a good reason for barging in here like that and interrupting my wo-!"

"Tsunade-sama! There's an emergency!" Neji said urgently, cutting his superior in mid-sentence. "A few minutes ago, Hanabi-sama informed me and Hiashi-sama about a large pillar of chakra coming from the direction of the hospital!"

"What?! How come no one else noticed?" Tsunade asked, astonished.

"I don't understand myself, but we don't have time to waste. This chakra is already disappearing, and if we don't hurry, we may not be able to catch the culprit."

"Shizune! Call the ANBU and have them meet me at the hospital!" Tsunade barked orders to the black haired medic, then turned to Neji. "You're coming with me. Report about any changes in this chakra on the way to the hospital. Let's move!"

"Hiashi-sama should already be there. He sent me to inform and get you, while he went to the hospital himself."

It wasn't even five minutes until Tsunade saw the hospital in the distance. She had been wondering during this time the same thing Neji was earlier, just what was that chakra? It couldn't be an attack, though she didn't dismiss the thought completely. Her worries grew when she remembered the comatose girl brought in by Naruto. While scans and complete examination never detected anything unusual inside her body, the blonde remembered one fact, that the girl was strangely healthy considering the state Tsunade's favorite ninja found her. That was suspicious enough.

There was also the strange fact that this chakra doesn't give out any kind of feeling. While medics, including herself, aren't really sensors, there is the fact that any kind of chakra gives out at least certain aspects of the user's motives. That Kabuto kid was able to sense the killing intent within her medical ninjutsu, which for an experienced medic isn't really that hard to do. However, having a pillar of chakra as large as this one was, and for it to not give out any kind of feeling, furthermore be completely undetected by sensor shinobi...What a strange phenomenon.

"Hokage-sama! The chakra, it...vanished." Neji announced to the blonde woman. "I can't find even a trace of it. It's like there was nothing there to begin with."

"This is getting more and more suspicious. Once we get to the hospital, I'll ask the staff if they noticed anything." Tsunade looked ahead and saw that they were already closing in on their destination. At the main entrance, the Godaime noticed a tall figure waiting for them. "Hiashi, what's the status?"

"I wasn't able to find the source of this strange chakra, Hokage-sama." Despite being a clan head, the proud Hyuuga was now answering this woman as a loyal ninja of Konoha. "Once I arrived here, the quantity of it was so great that it made my Byakugan temporarily useless, and caused me a severe headache. Now that it's gone I am fully recovered, but I still wanted to wait here for you before entering."

"Good, we don't know what to expect. First, we'll check if anyone inside the hospital was affected by what had place here." Tsunade stated.

Once Shizune and three ANBU agents joined the party, the Hokage walked into the hospital. Their first task was to ensure that no anomalies that could endanger lives of patients had occurred, therefore Tsunade, along with her faithful assistant, started to ask the staff questions. To their surprise, no one was even aware that anything major had happened. The situation in the facility was normal, though one of the medic-nins commented that he felt a little dizzy when walking through the secured wing during his shift, but dismissed it as exhaustion from overworking himself, admitting that he didn't sleep at all last night.

Tsunade knew that it would be normal to not take that story into account, but the fact that this medic was going through the wing of the hospital where Naruto and the mysterious girl resided was too much of a coincidence for her taste. She took Shizune and both Hyuuga with herself, while ordering the ANBU to station themselves outside the room, in case something happened. Before opening the door, she already heard Naruto's loud voice through it. Not thinking much about it, she barged inside.

"Naruto!" Tsunade barked, getting attention of the current occupants of the room. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"Calm down Tsunade-sama!" Shizune tried to reason with her teacher, but to no avail.

"Baa-chan! What the heck?! Stop yelling!" Naruto stood in front of the bed, shielding the one laying in it from everyone's view. "You're scaring her!"

"Who are you talking about, Uzumaki-san?" Hiashi asked in a more polite and quiet manner, knowing that the two blondes could make even more ruckus in the hospital with their shouting matches than what the patients could withstand.

Naruto hadn't said anything more, as a mop of midnight blue hair timidly peered from behind the boy, very slowly at that. There were a lot more people in the room than she was comfortable with. Still clutching the back of Naruto's jacket, everyone could see for the very first time the girl's eyes.

The pearl-like pupil-less gaze of a Hyuuga's Byakugan eyes greeted them.

* * *

A lone figure crossed the lands, through the dense woods and wide plains. Everything alive was fleeing the wanderer's path, treating him like a new predator, more dangerous than anything that ever lived in these lands. That was unimportant. He did not concern himself with such trivial matters. What did occupy his mind was the direction he was walking, which was West. Always West.

Taking a short break from his long march, the wanderer looked around, admiring the scenery, enjoying the light breeze on his face, and smiled slightly.

"It's good to be back."

* * *

**AN: I had to finish this a little later than I planned. I wanted to post it on Valentine's Day, but got delayed by other things (like chopping wood for fire). **

**Small explanation:**

**senpai/kohai**** - titles of older/younger students - when a sensei already has a student for some time and then takes another one, the new student is expected to obey the older, while the older has a duty of helping the younger one if they have trouble; in this case Shizune, as the first student of Tsunade, stands higher than either Sakura or Ino, making her their senpai and them her kohai (not professional explanation, but my own interpretation)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story, so please Review!**


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